亲爱的安妮：我是一名接受过培训的工程师，目前在一家《财富》500强（Fortune 500）公司任职，负责公司在北美洲的生产工作。最近，我们部门的主管一直在试探我的意见。他计划派我去西班牙，因为公司在那里设有几家工厂，希望我去处理一些生产方面的问题，或者将我派往一个拉丁美洲国家，因为公司将在那里开展新业务。（我估计他向我提出这两个选择是因为我是西班牙裔，而且我的西班牙语说得非常流利。）

    我不知道是否该接受外派，如果接受的话，又该选择哪一个。外派海外一年或两年，肯定会非常有挑战性，当然也会非常有意思。但是，我的朋友们曾经接受过类似的委派，最后他们都后悔了。他们警告我，如果我接受了，会被总部 “遗忘”，最终导致我在职场上失败。您有什么看法？

    ——纠结者 

    亲爱的纠结者：毫无疑问，这是一个非常复杂的决定，而且也是越来越多的管理人员将要面对的问题。根据布鲁克菲尔德全球重置服务公司（Brookfield Global Relocation Services）进行的一项名为“全球重置趋势2011年调查报告”（Global Relocation Trends 2011 Survey Report）的研究显示，去年外派员工的数量有所增加，这是自2006年以来的首次增加。该研究显示，2011年，全球约有61%的公司预计，将委派更多管理人员前往海外，这一数字创历史最高纪录。

    与留在国内的同事相比，这些被外派的管理人员或许会拥有更多优势。雷鸟（Thunderbird）国际工商管理学院全球化思维研究院（Global Mindset Institute）的研究项目主管曼索尔•贾维丹表示，跨国工作经验被越来越多地作为担任高层管理职位的先决条件。

    近期研究证明了他的观点。行政发展咨询公司国际健康公司（Healthy Companies International）的客户包括英特尔（Intel）、诺斯洛普‧格鲁曼公司（Northrop Grumman）、强生公司（Johnson & Johnson）和波音公司（Boeing）。该公司对《财富》美国100强（Fortune 100）企业的公司级管理人员的职业发展进行研究后发现，每10名高层管理人员中，有7人在海外担任过管理职位。而在10年前，这一比例还不到5/10。

    美国纽约市猎头公司雷恩斯国际（Raines International）首席执行官布鲁斯•雷恩斯表示：“在现在的一些大公司，如果你希望爬到高层主管的位置，那你至少要有一次重要的驻国外工作的经历。”

    但是，在打点行囊之前，你应该考虑一下几个重要的忠告。首先，在一个陌生的环境中，并不是每个人都能取得成功。全球化思维研究院列举了三个主要特质，这是外派人员取得成功所必备的（同时还有一个小测试，公司可以用来确定外派候选人是否具备这些特质）。

    外派任务的三个效果预测条件分别是：熟悉国际企业的工作方式，以及快速接受信息的能力；对不同文化的开放性，以及适应新习俗的能力；“社会资本”，也就是有能力召集人员，创建联盟，并影响那些在文化和政治理念上与你存在差异的人。

    曼索尔•贾维丹认为，如果没有这三项技能，“人们会在规定时间之前就打道回府了，或者，他们压根就实现不了既定的目标。生意最终会丢失，他们的职业和人际关系也会被破坏。”当然，作为管理人员的职业规划也难以幸免。

    在接受外派工作之前，坦率地列出自己在这三个方面的优势和劣势，并且不要犹豫，马上询问人力资源部，公司是否有相关培训，可以帮你做好接受新职务的准备。目前，大部分跨国公司都会提供这种培训。

    你会讲西班牙语，这应该可以助你一臂之力。布鲁斯•雷恩斯表示：“在接受外派任务时，所有管理人员都必须学会当地的语言，熟悉当地的文化。这一点必须着重强调。相比其他国家的管理人员，美国人通常在这方面要慢半拍。”

    如果你担心在外派工作期间被总部“遗忘”，雷恩斯告诉你，你不需要太过于担忧：“在互联网出现之前，被派往海外的人确实会被孤立。而现在，有了Skype、视频会议，以及其他各种技术，你绝对不会失去跟总部的联系。”

    当然，这并不是说，到海外工作不会给你的职业带来风险。你说你的部门主管提到，要将你外派“一年或两年”。雷恩斯说他经常遇到这种意外的事情，一年或者两年，最终变成了五年或是六年。

    他表示：“这种情况经常发生。你为公司在海外打拼那么长时间，可等你回来的时候，公司已经发生了很大变化，并且没有适合你的工作岗位了。而你也只能有两个选择，要么让步，要么辞职。”这种结果简直太糟糕了！

    为了保证万无一失，雷恩斯建议，“除非即使你最终离开目前的公司，你所接受的外派工作也能对你的职业有所帮助”，否则还是拒绝吧。

    雷恩斯还建议，你应该尽量要求在足够大的区域内，直接负责公司的盈亏，因为，这些技能将是你到其他公司就职的资本。

    另外，雷恩斯还表示，关于去西班牙还是拉丁美洲的问题，很大程度上取决于你对风险的态度。

    “如果你非常具有创业精神，那么新兴市场——包括巴西、南美洲其他地区、越南、莫斯科、中国等——就是你的战场。你可以确立‘神枪手’的好名声，并获得快速提升。”

    但如果你更保守，不愿意承担风险，“那你最好去欧洲，或者其他成熟的市场，因为在那些地方，已经形成了常规的工作流程，并且保持着一定的业绩记录。”

    还有一件事：如果你决定接受外派，可以看一下移居海外信息网（Expat Info Desk），该网站提供了大量宝贵的经验，从给宠物搬家到如何敲定切实可行的外派雇佣合同。网站的创始人乔治•伊夫斯本人就是一位拥有丰富经验的海外移居者。

    祝你一切顺利！

    Dear Annie: I am an engineer by training, currently running a big chunk of North American manufacturing for a global Fortune 500 company. Recently, the head of my division has been sounding me out about moving either to Spain, to tackle some productivity issues at a couple of plants we have there, or else to one of several Latin American countries where we are starting up new ventures. (I assume that these particular options are on the table because I'm of Hispanic extraction and already speak fluent Spanish.)

    I'm having trouble deciding whether to jump at either of these offers, and if so, which one. Moving overseas for a year or two would certainly be challenging and interesting. But friends of mine, who took similar assignments and later regretted doing so, warn me that I'd be "out of sight, out of mind" back at headquarters and that this would ultimately trip up my career. What do you think? —Not Packing Yet

    Dear Not Packing: No question about it, this is a complicated decision, and one that more and more managers are facing. The number of employees sent abroad rose last year for the first time since 2006, says a study from Brookfield Global Relocation Services called the Global Relocation Trends 2011 Survey Report . According to the study, a record-setting 61% of companies around the world expect to ship more managers to foreign shores in 2011.

    Those globetrotting managers may have an edge over their stay-at-home peers. International experience is "more frequently becoming a prerequisite" for top-level executive jobs, notes Mansour Javidan, dean of research at international business school Thunderbird's Global Mindset Institute.

    Recent studies suggest he's right. Executive development consultants Healthy Companies International, whose clients include Intel (INTC), Northrop Grumman (NOC), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and Boeing (BA), examined the career paths of C-level managers at Fortune 100 companies and found that more than 7 out of 10 have held management jobs in foreign climes. That's up from fewer than 5 in 10 a decade ago.

    "In many big companies now, you need at least one substantial international assignment if you want to climb the executive ladder," says Bruce Raines, CEO of New York City executive search firm Raines International.

    Before you start packing, however, consider a couple of important caveats. First, not everyone is cut out to thrive in an unfamiliar place. The Global Mindset Institute has identified three main traits that successful expats share (and a quiz that companies can use to determine whether overseas candidates have them).

    The three predictors of effectiveness in a foreign assignment: Solid knowledge of the workings of international business and a capacity to quickly absorb information; openness to different cultures and a knack for adapting to new customs and mores; and "social capital," defined as the ability to bring people together, create alliances, and influence others who are culturally or politically different.

    Without all three of these skills, says Mansour Javidan, "people come home before their contracted time, or they don't achieve their goals. Business is lost, and professional and personal relationships can be damaged." So can a manager's career.

    Before you accept an overseas gig, make an honest inventory of your strengths and weaknesses in those three areas, and don't hesitate to ask HR if training is available to help you prepare for your new role. At most big global companies these days, it is.

    The fact that you already speak Spanish should give you a big leg up. "All managers who take an overseas assignment must learn the language and study the culture," says Bruce Raines. "I can't stress that enough, and Americans in general tend to be slower off the mark in this regard than managers from other countries."

    As for your fear that you'll be "out of sight, out of mind" at headquarters, Raines says you needn't worry too much: "Before the Internet, people sent overseas were isolated. Now, with Skype, videoconferencing, and all the other technology that's available, you're never really out of touch."

    That's not to say that going abroad poses no risks to your career. You say that your division head has mentioned sending you abroad for "a year or two." Raines says one hazard he has often seen arises when that year or two turns into five or six.

    "This happens a lot," he says. "By the time you do get back, after a long stint abroad, the organization has changed so that there's no comparable job for you. So you either take a step down or leave the company." Gulp.

    To be on the safe side, Raines urges you not to take an overseas assignment "unless it is one that will help your career even if you end up leaving your current employer."

    Raines recommends that you try to gain direct responsibility for the company's bottom line in as large a region as possible because you can transfer those skills to other companies.

    Choosing whether to go to Spain or to Latin America, Raines adds, largely depends on your feelings about risk.

    "If you're very entrepreneurial, emerging markets -- including Brazil, the rest of South America, Viet Nam, Moscow, China -- are the frontier. You can build a huge reputation as a sharpshooter and move up quickly."

    If you're more conservative and risk-averse, on the other hand, "you may do better in Europe or another established market, where there are already established procedures and a track record."

    One more thing: If you do decide to make the leap, check out Expat Info Desk, a site run by seasoned expatriate George Eves that offers a wealth of wisdom on everything from relocating your pets to hammering out a workable expat employment contract.

    Vaya con Dios!